In the high-stakes world of government contracting and complex enterprise sales, “winging it” isn’t an option. To win consistently, organizations turn to the Shipley methodology—the industry-recognized gold standard for proposal management and capture strategy.
But a methodology is only as effective as the tools that support it. That’s why we built XTIVIA GovCon365 AwardTrack. By embedding the Shipley framework directly into Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, we’ve created a powerhouse solution that turns best practices into automated, repeatable, and winning workflows.
The Power of a Trusted Foundation: Microsoft Dynamics 365
Before diving into the methodology, it’s important to look at the “bones” of the system. AwardTrack is built natively on Microsoft Dynamics 365. This means you aren’t just getting a proposal tool; you are getting the security, reliability, and innovation of the Microsoft ecosystem.
Why Dynamics 365 is the Ideal Platform
- Seamless Integration: AwardTrack lives where your team already works—syncing effortlessly with Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint. This dramatically increases user adoption and reduces the need to switch between disparate systems.
- Enterprise-Grade Security: Your most sensitive bid data is protected by Microsoft’s world-class security protocols. Compliance and data integrity are non-negotiable in government and regulated industries.
- A Vendor You Can Trust: By leveraging Microsoft as the platform provider, XTIVIA ensures your pursuit management system is future-proof, scalable, and backed by a global leader in tech.
Transforming Shipley into Actionable Workflows
In many organizations, Shipley exists only in a handbook, often gathering dust on a shelf. In AwardTrack, it exists directly in your Opportunity entity. This crucial step takes the methodology from a theoretical guide to a practical, enforced set of steps.
We have translated the Shipley phases into a dynamic Business Process Flow (BPF). This BPF acts as a visual roadmap at the top of every opportunity, guiding your team through the critical milestones of a successful bid, from initial qualification to final submission.
Guided Gates and Guidelines for Quality Control
AwardTrack directs the procurement and bidding process through a set of mandatory and recommended Gates. These gates serve as essential quality-control checkpoints, ensuring that bids meet internal standards before proceeding.
This system ensures that:
- Capture Strategy is fully vetted and approved before resources are spent on writing the proposal. This prevents costly investment in low-probability pursuits.
- Color Team Reviews (Blue, Pink, Red, etc.) happen at the right time, with centralized feedback captured directly in the CRM record.
- Win Themes are clearly defined, consistently applied across all proposal sections, and align with the customer’s hot buttons.
Flexibility by Design: Configurable and Optional
We know that while Shipley is powerful, it isn’t “one size fits all”. Different industries and internal cultures require different levels of rigor and unique processes. AwardTrack is designed to adapt to your business, not the other way around.
- Fully Configurable
The Shipley integration in AwardTrack is built to be highly configurable. Do you call your “Red Team” a “Final Review”? Do you have an extra internal gate for legal approval? No problem. You can tailor the guidelines and process steps to match exactly how your client-facing teams operate, ensuring 100% organizational buy-in.
- Powerfully Optional
We believe in empowering your process, not forcing one upon you. If your organization uses a different proprietary sales method or a simplified bidding process for certain contract types, the Shipley Methodology is a completely optional feature. You can toggle it off to keep your Microsoft Dynamics interface lean, focused, and perfectly aligned with your specific sales DNA.
Achieving a Higher Win Rate with AwardTrack
Winning complex contracts is a discipline, and discipline requires the right tools. By combining the industry-leading Shipley methodology with the trusted Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform, XTIVIA GovCon365 AwardTrack gives your team the structure and automation they need to succeed. This partnership ensures that every bid is a calculated, strategic effort, not a last-minute scramble.
| Feature | Impact on Your Business |
| Native BPF Integration | Provides a visual “path to win” for every capture manager, driving consistent execution. |
| Standardized Gates | Reduces “bid/no-bid” errors and saves resources on low-probability pursuits. |
| Microsoft Ecosystem | Single sign-on and familiar UI leads to higher team adoption rates and faster onboarding. |
| Color Team Support | Centralizes feedback from Blue, Pink, and Red teams directly in the CRM record, speeding up the review cycle. |
Ready to Master Your Proposal Process?
Don’t let complex bids drain your resources. Schedule a no-obligation demo and see exactly how XTIVIA GovCon365 AwardTrack can transform your proposal management, increase your win rate, and help you grow faster!
The post Mastering the Win in Government Contracting: How XTIVIA GovCon365 AwardTrack Powers the Shipley Methodology on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales appeared first on CRM Software Blog | Dynamics 365.
